Eddie Cross has failed, says rival

Bulawayo South parliamentary aspirant Clayton Jones has taken a dig at the constituency's incumbent legislator Eddie Cross, labelling him a failure.

Jones, who has been allocated a seat for the constituency under the Joice Mujuru People's Rainbow Coalition, has already hit the ground running, embarking on weekly ward campaigns.

"Cross is not a threat to me, mainly because MDC has failed for three consecutive terms," Jones said.

"In Bulawayo South, if I had photos of how the constituency was in the past 10 years, the place has remained the same, infrastructure is dilapidated to such an extent that one wonders if there is an MP and a councillor who are representing the people. The constituency is like an orphaned one," he claimed.

Jones, whose likely big challenge would be from an MDC Alliance candidate, further hit out at Cross.

"He has failed dismally; nothing in the whole of Bulawayo South has improved, not even Belmont industrial sites in his constituency but companies have continued to collapse, he has not taken business community issues to the government," he said.

He added: "He is talkative in Parliament but he focuses on issues that don't help people in his constituency. He is more concerned about issues happening in other political parties than his own community."

While Jones appears to be worried about Cross, Bulawayo South, just like Harare South, has attracted lots of interest for many politicians.

One such candidate is female independent candidate Vimbainashe Musvaburi, a former United Kingdom-based nurse, who has expressed interest in the seat.

Cross could not be reached for comment as his phone went unanswered, despite numerous attempts.